Russia will point their nuclear missiles at major European cities

Just one day before the G-8 Summit is scheduled to begin, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated during an interview on Sunday that Russia will point their nuclear missiles at major European cities if the United States sets up any kind of missile defense system in Europe. Putin also said that a new cold war has begun with "the west" and that a "new arms race" has begun. This statement came after the U.S. announced plans to build several missile defense systems based in Poland and the Czech Republic. These defense systems will include radars and missile interceptors. The U.S. states that the planned defense system is to stop incoming nuclear missiles from North Korea and Iran.

Putin says the planned missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic will put "an integral part of the U.S. nuclear arsenal" on Russia's doorstep and upset the world strategic balance. In a U.S. Department of State press briefing, Monday, spokesman Sean McCormack expressed some surprise at Putin's comments. "They have more of the ring of 1977 than they do 2007. So, you know, I don't know quite what to make of it," said McCormack. "But it's just very surprising, especially given the...the new realities of not only the Russian relationship with the United States but also the Russian relationship with Europe."